Both performances set the tone for good runs in the Daytona 500 the following week.

But Harvick says Saturday night’s race might be the most important season-opener he and his Sprint Cup peers have ever raced in.

Why?

Because no one knows what to expect after NASCAR has made major rules changes for the season-opening Daytona 500.

“I think this is as an important of a Bud Shootout as I can possibly ever remember just for the fact that the rules have changed a little bit from the time we were here at the test,” Harvick said. “So there are still a lot of unknowns, a lot of things as drivers and teams that you want to push and want to test the limits of before you get to the 500.

“This Shootout is important because we really don’t know.”

NASCAR has made a host of changes to the cars and rules for Daytona in an attempt to break up the two-car draft that became prevalent in restrictor-plate races last year. The cars now have smaller spoilers, softer rear springs, smaller restrictor-plate openings and changes to the radiators and cooling systems to cause the cars to overheat quicker.

After a three-day test here in February, NASCAR made two other changes, enlarging the grille openings and extending the rear bumpers two inches closer to the ground.

All the changes have raised a myriad of questions and left drivers uncertain what to expect in the Bud Shootout and in next week’s Daytona 500.

Will they be able to race in two-car tandems, or will they have to race in big packs as NASCAR prefers?

If they race in two-car tandems, how long will they be able to stay hooked up before their engines overheat, forcing them to swap positions?

Some of those questions will be answered Saturday night.

“The Shootout is really going to be a telltale sign of what this week is going to be like,” Greg Biffle said. “Is it going to be a big group? Is it going to be single-file? How long can we push? There’s going to be a lot to it.”

Drivers practiced mostly in packs on Friday, but the fastest speeds in the first practice were posted in two-car drafts. The first practice also featured a big, multicar wreck when Tony Stewart got into the back of Kurt Busch while racing in a three-wide pack.

Which style of racing will prevail during the races?

“That’s what’s undetermined. That’s what we won’t know until the Bud Shootout,” says Jeff Gordon, who got a piece of the crash in practice. “I think you are going to see some packs and then we’re going to see if we can race three-wide in packs lap after lap.

“The cars have less downforce and a little more power. At night it might be OK, but during the day time for the 150’s and the 500 might be a little different.”

Gordon believes NASCAR’s new rules will mostly eliminate the two-car draft. NASCAR also has banned driver-to-driver communication during the races, which will make tandem drafting even more risky, he said.

“You are taking more risks now doing the two-car draft than we ever have before from an engine standpoint and throwing in the lack of radio communication,” he said. “It’s making it more risky to do and I think unless it’s the final lap of the race, I don’t know if it’s worth it.”

Harvick disagrees, saying, “Tandem is still going to win the race, I will promise you that.”

The Shootout, though often wild, is typically just a tune-up for the rest of Speedweeks. Dale Earnhardt Jr. says there will be no holding back Saturday night.

“Some people probably won’t show their hand in practice,” he said. “Practice might be just a small taste of what is going to happen. I think in the Shootout it will matter enough to everybody.

“Once you get out there and you get the drivers out there, nobody is going to hold back. Nobody is going to put anything in their pocket and save it. We’re all pretty ignorant out there; we want to win. … The drivers are going to show whatever they can do.”

One thing is for sure. This will be one of the most highly anticipated Budweiser Shootouts in years.

“I think a lot of us are anticipating the Bud Shootout to really see what all is going to take place,” Harvick said. “This is just a wide-open race. There is a lot of anticipation, a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of hype and build-up and usually you see something crazy happen at the beginning of these races. You never know what is going to happen.”